Thomas County cat., 1887-03-17
PICKING UP a LIVING.


How Two 1mpocuniOus Engtishmen MOI.
age to Exc Out an Existence.
The odd behavior Of a young man at
the hotels and other public resorts Of
the city recently aroused the curiosity
of reporter. who managed to make
his acquaintance. He proved to be tt i,
inventor Of IA novel way of making a
living. He is about twenty-five years
of age. tall, gentlemanly-looking. and
dressed in clothes of good material
well cut and made. but much worn.
He seemed to range in all places in the
central part of the city. where large
numbers congregate, and his actions
were invariably the same. He would
walk into hotel in brisk but seem-
ingly unoccupied manner and in turn
patrcniZe the rotunda. writing. wait
ing, billiard rooms, and other Offices
on the main floor. A discarded news
paper seemed to be Il magnet whose
power he was unable to resist. Seat
ing himself on the chair containing the
paper he would take it up. read par
agraph, fold it quickly, and then the
sheet would disappear. This would be
repeated until every thing in the shape
of reading matter would be garnered
in. He was evidently practiced hand
at this work, as without exciting at
tention and in most inobstrusive
manner he cleared wide swath in a
very short time When he had appro-
priated every paper in sight he would
walk out as if he had an important en-
gagement to keep.
The reporter followed in his wake
one morning when he made Il bee-line
for an Office entry afew doors of, where
stoutish, roughly-dressed young fel-
low was in waiting with a canvas sack.
Here the collector unlOaded. when the
pair departed for fresh fields. the
sack-bearer few PAGES behind the
other.
The reporter struck up an acquaint-
ance with this collector, and finally got
the following account of the firm and
its operations:
"Well," the collector commenced.
81 don't mind telling you what we do
and how we started it. We make an
honest living, such as it is, and we
only took to it to tide us over till somc-
thing better turned up. Bill and are
both from England, and have only been
in America eight months. We came
over in the same ship. We got ac-
quainted and came on to Chicago from
New York together. When we arrived
here had about f110, and he had per-
h:ps "a or Is in his pocket. We took
room on State street and both tried
for a job. l was an architects clerk
at home, and he was what they call in
England light porter l always
thought that in America there was
work for every body, but soon found
out my mistake. We tried for weeks
and couldn't get job. Finally l was
laid on my back with serious attack
of gastric fever. Bill stuck to me like
Il brick. After the money was gone he
had to sell my clothes and his own tC
keep us going till got well.
"When got on my feet again we had
thirty-five cents between us and
nothing left to make raise on. We
started out, and l went to the firms
had applied to before to see if there
was an opening. We travelled around
all day. but it was no 60. About five
O'Clock l called on dry-goods COM
mission man on Monroe street, where
l had been before. He lent me two
dollars. and, pointing to Il pile of old
newspapers in Il corner, said could
have them if would take them away.
and perhaps | could sell them for Il few
cents. / called Bill in. and we made
two bundles and shouldered them. We
sold them to Il laundry for f:fty-four
cents. That night an idea struck me.
bethought myself of the large guam
tity of newspapers lying around the
hotels and other places in the city. and
! wondered if we could scratch living
out OF collecting and selling these until
things ncrde1. We got Il sack next
morning and started in, and we have
been ut it ever since.
AT first it was tight pinch. l was
weak and ashamed. and we only made
a little. Now we make enough to pay
two dollars week for room, get
three cheap meals a day. and buy Il
paper of tobacco occasionally. The
worst of it is our clothes are wearing
| out"
Where do You make your collec-
tions?"
''Principally at the hotels, railway
stations and billiard-rooms. We Occa-
sionally get yermiSsion from the gate
keepers ut tie depots to 90 through an
incoming train and get half sackful
at Il time. The janitors of some of the
Office buildings also allow us to take
their waste, though most Of them col
lect and sell it themselves"
..Where do you sell your stuff?''
"At the Chinese laundries, meat
markets, small notion and grocery
stores. and to small business people OF
all kinds